On Saturday, August 5, a group of ladies from P.E.O., an organization that grants scholarships, grants and loans to women for their education, scheduled a Sunset Sail with Sound Waters. We were appalled when one of our members was left on the dock in Stamford, Ct. We could see her and the two ladies she brought as guests and begged the captain not to leave them. However, he said he had a schedule to keep and they should have known better.
The sail was scheduled for 6-8 and we had arrived at the adjacent park an hour beforehand to have a picnic dinner. About 5:45, the lady who had made the reservations for all of us, told us to clean up and make our way to the ship. We met two more ladies at the gate and were told by one of the crew members that we needed to move quickly. Although he had a passenger list and knew that three of the members of our group were missing (including our leader) he hustled us to the ship. We assumed the missing three were ahead of us. When we found out they were still on the dock, we told the crew and pointed them out (you could see them crossing the bridge to the dock. However, they didn't know which way to go because no one was there to guide them.) Despite our pleadings, the captain ordered the crew to continue with the departure and off we went. Since two of the people on the ship had been driven by our leader, she had to wait two hours for us to return. This only added insult to injury.
I couldn't believe it! Where is the humanity? I should point out that I am 70 and Marcia is a few years older. This was not a kind gesture on the part of Sound Waters.
All in all, this was a very disappointing trip, despite the good weather and beautiful scenery. All we could think about was how much our leader would have enjoyed it! At the very least, I would expect her to get a refund for herself and her two guests but I would also expect a very severe reprimand to the crew. The crew member at the gate knew three people were missing from this group of elderly ladies and should have asked us about them. Once told they were right behind us he should have waited for them. Secondly, the captain should have made the decision to get them aboard-five minutes was all it would take. As it turned out, we easily had five minutes to spare before the sunset. If, as the captain said, it would be 15 minutes because he had already started the departure procedures and would have to redo them, then the crew member at the gate is at fault for not making sure the party was all on board.
I would suggest that on the website and in the literature, it is clearly stated that boarding is at 5:45 and the ship sails at 6. But, even with that said, the crew should have had a heart. The passengers are more important than they are. I fear this has happened before and it is an unnecessary inconvenience for the clients. For some bizarre reason, the captain insisted that the rest of the passengers would be inconvenienced if he made sure everyone was on board. I beg to differ. It was more disconcerting to realize that the captain was willing to leave someone (an elderly woman at that) on the dock because she didn't move fast enough. I was not impressed. read more
